Chapter 65

“Hey Mica, are you interested in dinner tonight, or doing something Sunday night?” I asked Mica’s voice mail. “So call me.”

I was just back from my walk and sat down to my breakfast of a healthy Bran Muffin covered in not so healthy peanut butter. I was forced to drink some terrible reconstituted orange drink with it. The acid level of that fake juice was high. I drank it knowing I needed to pick up a roll of fake Tums.

I drank another couple of ounces of Milk hoping to avoid the acid stomach which I expected. I checked to make sure that Mikah was in good shape after our walk, and after her breakfast. I knew that in fifteen minutes or so it would be necessary for her to check out the newly laid grass.

I had used a grand of the TV script money to have beds of landscape timber laid in the parking lot. The landscaper also provided the dirt and the sod to make an instant lawn. Well he dragged the half a day job out till it was two days. To be honest the cost was more like seven hundred and some odd dollars. I was figuring in the cost of a lawn mower into the total.

Anyway Mikah had a nice place to do her think now. I recycled a grocery bag to pick up her K9 mail, and then to deposit it in the large trash can provided by the city. I thought it was a good message to city hall from me.

It was well after nine when I finally sat down with the Acer, my digital recorder, my little map of the episode’s flow, and a cup of coffee. Episode two began with the team heading out for a large drug bust. The very first scene was Tory leading her team, which was not the department’s SWAT team. She and the assistant chief had decided in episode one not to use SWAT for their take downs. They decided they wanted officers who were loyal to them, and who played by the rules they decided to enforce.

Every officer from the youngest, Burke, to their Detective Sargent. a nasty piece of street cop name Jarrett. They were chosen for the job by by Lieutenant Tory Simpson, with the approval of the Assistant Chief. He stayed just far enough out of the loop to keep his hands clean. The Episode featured a flash back of Tory reviewing the Sergeant’s record with the Assistant Chief before his selection. Just enough so that we learned Jarrett had one more ‘atta boy’ letter than civilian complaints.

Assistant chief: When a suspect, with plenty of evidence against him, needs roughing up for information, which is needed quickly in order to save a life, Jarrett is your man.

After the hard first episode of training, the take down was important. Everyone was in a good mood when they met to celebrate in a neighborhood bar known to be a cop bar.

Tory: Tradition calls for the first round to be on the boss, so order something expensive.

Jarrett led the LT into a corner: You should know rumors are flying about you in the ranks as I’m sure they are about me up in the ivory tower. The ones about me are at least a little true.

Tory holding a beer: I’m sure some of the ones about us both are, but not all of them. Is that all Sergeant.

Jarrett: It is.

The script went on from there and ran for several hundred words. There were an equal number of, or more, words dedicated to movements and setting. Those I took from the scrip where possible. I only got about a quarter of the way through episode two when I was whipped. I was also sick of the two dimensional characters the screenwriters wrote.

‘Find out from the producer what they want her off duty life to be like’. I demanded in an email. I decided that by the second episode we should be getting to know who the Lt. really was.

I went to the garden center of the Walmart store while I waited for the answer to may email. I wanted that answer before I went back to work on the script. It was my plan to give a hint of her home life at age forty right after the successful raid.

In the script the ‘crims’ were sitting in lockup while the state cops had their celebrations. The Lt. needed to go home early since her presence would put a damper on the celebration. So the audience would want to know what was there for her.

I bought two large plastic containers for the two shrubs I had purchased. Both shrubs were knockout rose bushes. I knew from experience that they were hardy, and would add some color to the place as well. I added them to help disguise the car wash. Instead of a car wash, the building should look like a re-purposed car wash. I loaded it all into the back of the metro for the trip home.

“I thought you were upset,” Mica’s voice came over the phone. When the call came in I hadn’t left the Walmart parking lot.

“Why would you think that. I have left messages two or three times since our date,” I said angrily.

“Take it easy. I was trying to decide what I wanted from you,” she said. “We need to talk about that.”

“So, what the fuck are you talking about, are up game for dinner this weekend or not?” I asked.

“I’m in for tonight. If you still want to do it,” she replied. “Jon and Effie are going to be using my house to play house.”

“Are you alright with that?” I asked.

“Of course not, but I’m also not alright with them running off somewhere to play house. You and I both know it’s not safe out there,” she explained.

“You are preaching to the choir,” I said.

“So what time shall I pick you up?” I inquired.

“Let’s try for seven. Then we can adjust it, if necessary,” Mica suggested.

When I got home I sent another Email to my accomplice in the Durham Co-op. “Show them this email. If they don’t want to answer my questions in a timely manner, FUCK THEM IN THE ASS, I’M THROUGH.